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Nakoma Blackfeather

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Nakoma Blackfeather

20 hours ago

“What if I informed you that 13,000 Native Americans fought in World War I without U.S. citizenship? Let that sink in.” History often remembers wars through numbers, dates, and treaties—but rarely thr... View More“What if I informed you that 13,000 Native Americans fought in World War I without U.S. citizenship? Let that sink in.” History often remembers wars through numbers, dates, and treaties—but rarely through the contradictions they expose. One such contradiction lies in the story of Native Americans during World War I. When the United States entered the war in 1917, thousands of Native American men answered the call to serve. They came from dozens of tribes, each with its own language, culture, and history—many of which had already endured centuries of displacement, broken treaties, and systemic erasure at the hands of the U.S. government. Yet, despite this history, approximately 13,000 Native Americans fought in World War I, wearing American uniforms and risking their lives on foreign soil. Here is the truth that demands reflection: many of these men were not legally recognized as U.S. citizens at the time. They could be drafted into war. They could be wounded or killed in battle. They could be buried under an American flag. But they could not vote. They could not fully claim the rights promised by the Constitution. They were expected to defend a nation that did not yet fully acknowledge them as part of it. Why did they fight? For many Native Americans, military service was not about nationalism—it was about responsibility. Responsibility to protect land, community, and future generations. Warrior traditions long predated the United States, rooted in values of courage, sacrifice, and honor. These men fought not because they were accepted, but because they believed in defending what mattered—even when the system failed them. After the war, the injustice became impossible to ignore. In 1924, the Indian Citizenship Act was passed, granting U.S. citizenship to Native Americans born in the United States. Yet even then, equality was far from achieved. Many states continued to deny Native Americans the right to vote for decades afterward. This history is not meant to inspire guilt—it is meant to inspire awareness. It forces us to confront an uncomfortable reality: rights in America have often followed sacrifice, not preceded it. Native Americans shed blood for a country that had yet to grant them legal belonging. Their service challenges us to reconsider what citizenship truly means—and who has been required to earn it through loss. So when you read that sentence—“Let that sink in”—pause. Remember that behind the number 13,000 were real people. Sons. Brothers. Warriors. Patriots without papers. Their story deserves more than a footnote. It deserves remembrance.

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Paul

My grandfather fought in WW1 . He came back shell shocked (that's what they called it back then ) from what I heard he was never the same .I never met him he died when my dad was 17 . We should think of all the soldiers that came back that way and disfigured and the ones who never made it back . It... View More

2 16 hours ago

John Blackfeather

I remember I wasn't even a citizen till 1969 and my parents couldn't vote till or after 1969.

1 11 hours ago

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